Not able to Download Apps on Android Phone? 10 quick fixes (2023)

There’s nothing more annoying than wanting to download a new app or game and being constantly declined by the Google Play Store. There may be multiple reasons behind this. Usually, this sort of problem can be easily resolved without any deep diagnosis. But users who experience this issue for the first time are often left confused. If you’re not able to download any apps on your Android phone, try these 10 quick fixes.

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Restart your device

A quick restart can fix any background glitches that may be affecting the integral functions of your smartphone. This should be the first step you take in fixing any issue with your device. To restart your phone, simply press and hold the side key and select ‘Restart’ from the power options. If pressing the side key triggers the Google Assistant, press and hold the volume up button and side key together to access power options.

Check the date and time on your phone

For Google Play Store to work on your phone, the date and time need to be accurate. Usually, your phone auto-updates the time when it is connected to the internet. However, if your phone has been switched off for a long time, the date and time may be off once it is turned on again. To fix this, go to Settings>General Mangement>Date and Time and manually set the date and time. You can also turn on auto updates from this page.

Check your phone’s storage space

If your phone is running low on storage space it won’t be able to download any new apps from the Google Play Store. You can check your phone’s storage status by going to Settings>Battery and Device Care>Storage. If the storage is maxed out try deleting some apps and media from your phone. You can also create a backup on Google Drive before deleting any media. 

Clear Google Play Store’s cache and app data

Google Play Store may throw some errors if the cache hasn’t been cleared out in a while. The cache is a location for temporary files that the app uses for optimisation and to reduce load time. Clearing the cache gets rid of any corrupted temporary files that may be keeping the app from carrying out its functions. You can clear cache and app data by going to Settings>Apps>Google Play Store>Storage and selecting ‘Clear data’ and ‘Clear cache’ from the bottom menu.

Check your network connection

Try using other apps to see if your network connection is working fine. Drag the notification bar and check if you’re connected to the WiFi or that Mobile Data is turned on. You won’t be able to download any apps if you don’t have a stable internet connection. Also, make sure your VPN is turned off. Some apps have a region lock which prevents them from being downloaded in certain countries. If your VPN is accessing a server from that country, you won’t be able to download the app.

Enable background data

If you’re not connected to a WiFi network, Google Play Store may not download new apps in order to save mobile data. This option is not turned on by default, so you may have enabled it earlier and forgotten about it. If the data saver is turned on, your phone may not download new apps after hitting the stipulated data usage limit. To fix this, go to Settings>Apps>Google Play Store>Mobile Data and switch on the toggle bar for ‘Allow background data’ and ‘Allow data usage while Data saver is on’.

Uninstall Google Play Store updates

If the apps stopped downloading after a recent Play Store update, it may be due to some new bug. You can uninstall the Play Store update and revert the app back to its factory version by going to Settings>Apps>Google Play Store, tapping on the ellipses at the top right corner of the screen, and selecting ‘Uninstall updates’. You can reinstall the updates after a while when the bugs have been fixed. 

Sign out and sign in to the Google Play Store

If all the fixes mentioned above don’t work, try logging out and logging in to Google Play Store again. This will fix any minor issues related to your account. Since you can’t directly logout of the Google Play Store you will have to sign out of your Google Account. Go to Settings>Accounts and Backup>Manage Accounts. Select your Google Account and tap on ‘Remove Account’. To log back in, select ‘Add an account’ and enter your login credentials. 

Check the download status

If you hit install on multiple apps, they will be queued up and installed one by one. The installation status of an app will show ‘Pending’ until all prior apps have been downloaded. To check the download status go to Google Play Store>Profile>My apps and games.

Apps not downloading on a new phone?

If you are unable to download new apps on your new phone, it may be because Google Play Store is restoring the app backup on your device. The apps linked to your Google Account on your old phone will be installed on the new phone as a part of the complete backup. Only when all of the old apps have been downloaded will you be able to download any new apps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I download apps on my Android phone?

If you’re unable to download any new apps on your Android smartphone, check your internet connection and the internal storage of your device. Restart your phone for good measure and try again.

Why is Google Play Store not working?

If you are facing issues with Google Play Store, try clearing its cache from settings and try again.

Are there any alternatives to Google Play Store?

Apart from Google Play Store, your phone comes preloaded with the manufacturer’s app store. Samsung phones have the Galaxy Store which serves as a decent alternative to Google Play Store.

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Conclusion 

These 10 quick fixes will come in handy when you’re not able to download any apps on your Android phone. If the issue still persists, you can try performing a factory reset on your device. But before going forward with that, make sure you back up all the data on your phone using Google Drive.